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Thursday, February 6, 2014

Family Room Update Is Next

It amazes me at the things builders do to save a few dollars. Now some of these things are so subtle you don't really notice them at first, then when you start to decorate, you just shake your head in dis-belief.

To make my point you have to see what I'm talking about. Here is my living room when I was trying out the white drapes. (OK, but a little underwhelming and I already took them back. I have another plan.)

(Sorry, back to the issue of the white drapes)

Then I decided that I really wasn't sure about the white in the living room and thought I would try it in the family/breakfast rooms.

Notice anything yet?

This is what I'm talking about. This is looking at my dining room window and my breakfast room window standing in the doorway that separates them. Now you normally don't see both of them at the same time, so until you start to hang drapes you don't notice that they used much shorter windows in the breakfast/family area than the living/dining area. (How cheap can you be.)

I deliberately added a header to these drapes in the family/breakfast area, and it sort of camouflages the fact that the windows are short. (The windows really aren't that short, we have 9 1/2 ft. walls.) Inside the windows we installed your typical wood blinds. These things are a real pain to keep clean and especially in this room since it is open most of the time to the patio and outside and there is always tons of dust on them. (We are surrounded by farmland, and they are constantly plowing and creating tons of dust.)

Ok, back to the situation. After thinking about this and looking at all sides of the situation, I think I am just going to eliminate all the drapes in the family/breakfast area and just do Bamboo Blinds.

Now this is a look I really like, the blinds are hung really high and drapes on the sides. This would definitely work and I could use the white drapes for this look.

Here is a picture of my previous home where I just used the shades by themselves. I loved it and they were so easy to keep clean. (I know a totally different kind of room and really high vaulted ceilings.) I think if I hang the blinds above and outside the windows I can create this same really clean look.

After searching for days, I looked at all kinds of blinds and still wasn't convinced that was the look I wanted, but I did find the perfect thing. I t hink this will be fabulous.

So what do you think? Do you try different things, or do you stick with the statis-quo.

36 comments:

Marty,Love the toffee check drapery, dear freind!!!I try new accessories, but usually stick with drapes for a l o n g time.(During our Military days, every move meant different drapes. . .so when we finally purchased a home, I made an investment in drapery.)The Bamboo shades are stunning! Would definitely hide the builders mistake.Your home is lovely. . .a reflection of you and your exquisite taste!Whichever you choose, it will be grand, indeed!!!Fondly,Pat

We've had some major problems due to builder defects--ugh! Anyway, I never thought about bamboo shades, and I like how they were hung outside the window in the one picture. I can't wait to see what decide! Dee :)

Girl, you're amazing! I change window treatments so rarely. . .if I find something that works, I tend to stick with it for a LONG time. One thing I always think about, though--do the window treatments look good from outside as well as inside? I think about this particularly for the front of a house, although I think the areas you're considering are not on the front, are they? You'll make beautiful choices, I know! :)

Having to choose window treatments is the absolute bane of my existence (next to choosing paint colors). I think you have a well-thought -out solution and it will look great when you're done. I particularly liked the look with the bamboo shades and the white drapes.xoKathleen

I love the check. I am in love with houndstooth and mixing this in with the Buffalo check fabric in the same color could look very good as pillows or even as the drapery. [houzz=http://www.houzz.com/photos/632495/Family-Room-beach-style-family-room-other-metro]

Love the checked drapes...neutral but great interest. I think the bamboo blinds are great...I have one in my kitchen above the sink...no curtain there...and I was thinking of adding some to the sewing room when I paint and re-do it...I have big white blinds and drapes in there now. Have a great day!!

Have always loved the bamboo blinds, also have seen them in a tortoise shell. Very smart looking. As for the check drapes in toffee.....I have them in my living room and love them!!! Can't go wrong with either look.............

Window treatments are so expensive that I think almost everyone agonizes over their decisions. I know I do. I too have wood blinds but I have to say I like them and they don't get too dusty very often, but of course it's a different environment than yours.

I really like the buffalo check, but I like the blinds too! Big help, I know :/.

Hi Marty! Oh, I just love whatever you do and I'm loving the checked drapes. Could you use the blinds with those checked drapes? I know whatever you do, it'll be gorgeous! Hope you're doing well.Be a sweetie,Shelia ;)

I am pretty much status quo but only because of money. However..I DO know that the next change I make..it will NOT be the wood blinds I thought I wanted. It will be those very shades. They will look gorgeous! I still have those verticals..but not for long.Broken and missing slats and are driving me crazy. I will keep my pretty County Fair drapes I had made. (I've sewn everything but drapes..they scare me! So afraid I will ruin a bunch of material..and it IS expensive. Now..I just notice you have something up near you header that says "How I found my style"...well heaven only knows, I need to find out where my style is! :)

I am going thru the great window treatment dilemma as well Marty. Debating on wether we want to order blinds or not for the living room. I can not wait to see your new check curtains! Thanx for joining THT.

Love both the check and the blinds! I have blinds in my bedroom and love them!!!! I was worried they wouldn't give enough privacy but that hasn't been an issue at all! Anxious to see your decision and completed rooms!~~Angela

I have real high ceilings in my living room, however one window was oddly low in the room because of the front porch on the other side of the window. We took mirror tile squares and trimmed the with wood window molding and they really fool your eye into thinking they are just transom windows, and hung the drapes above the faux transoms and it made the windows in the room all even and worked out perfectly.

I've lived in this house I had built nearly 24 years and until today, I never noticed, NEVER, that the width of the soffits on either side of the kitchen are not equal. The left hand side soffit (as I sit starting at the kitchen from the family room) is a good 5-6 inches wider than the soffit on the right hand side. RIDICULOUS! There is no reason for that at all, except sloppy building practices. The widths of the cabinets on either side of the stove do not match, either. Strips of filler were inserted and until a few years ago, I never really paid attention. I suppose if I hadn't started reading decorating and d-i-y blogs I never would have noticed, so it's sort of a curse in one respect, LOL! It's been driving me bonkers ever since that my cabinets are not equal widths on either side of the stove, which is front and center on the back wall of the kitchen. I cannot afford to replace the cabinets and they don't NEED to be replaced, they are in excellent shape and not out of style. They are white melamine Euro-style cabinets, as fresh looking today as they were 24 years ago. Except for those different widths... Oh, and the installers did the same thing with the bottom run of cabinets. LOL! So the mis-match matches top and bottom. Wish there were some blinds I could put up to just make it all disappear. Marty, any ideas???? Oy!

It Really Works, My Shower Doors Are Really Clean

About Me

Hi, I'm Marty. Welcome - Moving back closer to family finds us transforming our "Builder Basic" into a home that reflects our lifestyle. This is where I share simple design ideas, easy diy projects and thrifty and chic finds. Careful planning, and a sharp eye for design can turn any house into your dream even if you have a small budget. I share it all, the successes and failures. We love to entertain so you'll find a few tried and true recipes and entertaining ideas too.